


Meant to Be [If I Don't Die First]

by ThePackWantstheD



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Geoff Centric, M/M, Soulmate Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-12
Updated: 2013-09-23
Packaged: 2017-12-26 10:05:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/964688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePackWantstheD/pseuds/ThePackWantstheD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In world of soulmates and tattoos, Geoff Ramsey protects the people he loves even though he’s never met them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One: Mark Me, Baby. I'm Yours

**Author's Note:**

> Right so also found on my tumblr at: http://thepackwantsthed.tumblr.com/post/60992458388/meant-to-be-if-i-dont-die-first  
> Over there it includes drawing of each tattoo which I haven't included here since my good friend caffeineassassin drew them.

 

**Chapter One: Mark Me, Baby. I’m Yours.**

* * *

 Geoff is born with pale arms.

The doctors check him over inch by inch. They look on his upper arms and on his armpits. They look between his fingers and in his elbow joint.

When they’re satisfied they hand him to his mother and declare that he’s blank. It’s not a big deal, it’s a pretty normal occurrence actually.

It simply meant he was older then his soulmate. 

* * *

It was three in the morning when Geoff woke up to a searing pain in his wrist.

He bolted up in bed, letting out a high pitched shriek.

"Geoff?!" His mothers voice is distant even as she crashed into his bedroom, not even turning the lights on before running to his bed and falling on her knees by his bed. "Honey, what’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"It burns! It burns!" Geoff screamed.

He kept screaming, the words flooding out as tears dripped down his face.

"Sh, it’ll be okay honey," she assured. Her fingers were cold against the searing pain as she pried his fingers away from his wrist. To keep his hand from snapping back against it, she twined their fingers together and brought the cold hand to her cheek.

Geoff let out another scream as another stab of pain shot through him, “Make it stop! Mama, make it stop!”

His mother glanced down at his wrist before gasping. Her hand tightened on his fingers and she pressed a kiss to his palm, as his body rocked with the shock of the pain pounding against his wrist. “Oh honey, mama can’t make it better. She can’t make it stop.”

"I want it to stop! I want it to stop mama! Make it stop."

She shook her head against his hand, repeating her words over and over again as he screamed.

Geoff Ramsey is five years, six months, and thirteen days old when his soulmate is born.

* * *

Geoff hummed softly to himself as he tapped his pencil against his wrist.

The crossed scepters, one black with a white gem and one yellow with a red gem, had appeared on his wrist a little over a year ago but it still fascinated him. It was a splash of color that hadn’t been there for four years of his life and it was hard to adjust to.

Unlike some of the other kids, Geoff’s mark wasn’t easy to hide when the Alabama heat made long sleeves practically impossible to wear without making yourself sick.

Today was one of the days when Geoff absorbed himself in tracing the mark with the eraser of his pencil in order to avoid the jealous glares, sharp as knives, coming from the few kids that didn’t have marks yet.

It seemed like the Christmas holiday had only made them worse.

"Geoff, why don’t you give me the answer to this problem then."  
His head snapped up, looking at the board where the math problem was scrawled in her loopy numbers. He squinted at it for a minute before opening his mouth, “I think the answ-“

His voice cut off into a scream as his legs crumbled under him.

"Geoff?!" she screamed. The teacher was young, inexperienced in dealing with this. She looked just as scared as he felt. "Geoff, what’s wrong?!"

"Zoey!" a voice snapped from the doorway, Mr. Ender from the class next door he registered vaguely. "I heard screaming, what’s going on?"

"Oh god, Rythian! I don’t know what to do he just collapsed and-"

"My arm!" Geoff ripped out from between clenched teeth, his six year old voice squeaking out at the end.

Mr. Ender’s hands were on him suddenly, holding him at the shoulders as his classmates where herded out into the coat room by their teacher.

Before she stepped out with them, Rythian reasoned, “And get the nurse! It’s gotta be his soulmate being born.”

"He’s already marked, Rythian!"

Geoff barely registered the shock fluttering on the teachers face before his body slumped the rest of the way down, the hand not shaking in pain giving up it’s grasp on the desk. His head hit the floor with a loud thump. 

[/\\]

Two weeks, later he found himself sitting on a stool in the nurses office.   
An ice pack pressed against his left eye and the skin his tee-shirt showed was littered with bruises.

"I’ve called your mom. She can’t be here until after school so you’re going to stay in here with me," Nurse Riley declared as she stepped back into the room. She dropped a stack of books, the paper ones they used for learning cursive and the English and Social Studies textbooks and worksheets in front of him. "When your eye stops hurting you should get to work on it. But Geoff this is the second time this week that you’ve been in here like this."

Geoff looked down at the tiled floor before murmuring, “It’s fine as long as I can protect them.”

Her gaze dropped to his arm, her eyes examining the way the underside of his wrist were the marks were was the only part of his arms still clean of bruises.

After a moment, she declared, “Well, your doing a poor job of it.”

"I protected them, didn’t I? I didn’t let anyone touch them," Geoff shouted, his stomach churning as anger bubbled inside him.

"You did but you didn’t protect yourself. You should be glad it’s only first and second graders now but one day…" She stopped, cutting herself off with a shake of her head. "I know some people who can help you if you can get your mothers permission."

He asked, “Help me how?”

"They could help you leave them with bruises instead of you. Strictly self defensive but-"

"I’ll do it! I want to protect them! No matter what!"

Riley flashed him a smile before adding, “You might regret that one you meet Aly.”

[\/]

Nurse Riley opened the door for him, letting Geoff step into the bright yellow entrance hall. The air conditioning washed over him, and he let his eyes drift shut for a second. 

"Right then," she declared as she poked his shoulder to get him walking. Geoff glanced around as they walked down the hall. The entrance was painted a off white color, marred with what looked suspiciously like bloodstains, and there was a office build into the wall. At the end of the hallway was a glass door, and through it Geoff could see a large boxing ring were a girl with long hair was slamming her fists into a males stomach. On the opposite wall to the office was a closed wooden door.

Riley stopped him at the office window and glanced around as she spoke, “They must both have class, usually one of them is out here. I’ll go check the-“

The wooden swung open, cutting her off, and a brunette women in loose green shorts and a sports bra rubbing at her shoulder stepped out. Another women, decked out in the white outfit with a black belt tied around her waist followed after her laughing.

"You flung me too hard," the brunette complained. "I have teenagers practicing in there, ya know? It’s not that easy to fix someones hook when you can’t throw one yourself."

The other just laughed before saying, “You’re the one who wanted me to throw you though. You’ve seen me do it to a hundred people before.”

"I thought I could resist!"

Riley cleared her throat before calling, “Guys! Attention please.”

The brunette glanced over before grinning, “Hey.” Panic settled in her eyes after a moment and she added quickly, “For the record, my shoulder is not dislocated again. So, don’t hit me. She just threw me too hard.”

"I didn’t even throw you," the other murmured. "It was just a flip."

Geoff let out a soft sound before asking, “You can flip people? That’s amazing.”

"I can," she answered. She looked over at Riley, "Is this the kid you told us about?"

"Yeah."

The brunette bent down, looking at him carefully. Her face split into a grin after a moment, and she managed to look both wild and caring as she asked “You wanna learn how to box?”

"You’re a boxer?!"

"Yup. You can be too." She held a hand out for him. When he slipped his small fingers onto her, she glanced at his wrist only once before straightening, "Riley and Bella will file your paperwork and we’ll go see if I have gloves and a helmet in your size for you to borrow."

"He’s only seven," the other women, Bella Geoff assumed, called, "and his paperwork isn’t filed yet! Please be careful Aly! If he gets hurt-"

"It’ll be fine! Unlike you, I don’t throw children into walls!"

Belle laughed, “I only do that to the kids who show promise.”

[/\\]

"Whoa!" his mom exclaimed the next morning when he came running down the stairs. "I thought all the bruises had cleared up from the last time. Did you get hit while you were at school again? I’m going to strangle that principle for-"

"It wasn’t the kids, mama," he answered. "Nurse Riley took me to that dojo she told you about remember?"

Her mouth fell into an o after a moment, “Ah. Okay, I do remember you telling me she was showing you the place after school. But the bruises…”

"Ms. Aly had me get in a ring with one of the other kids so she could see how I did. She said I would have to start with the other seven year olds but that I could probably move up soon since I was picking it up quickly. And Ms. Bella flipped me when she was teaching me a bit! It was so cool!"

She chewed on her thumb for a second before questioning, “It sounds tough honey. Are you sure you want to take the classes?”

Geoff grinned and gave a quick nod. He ducked down, pulling papers from his backpack, “Yeah! It was really cool! I just need you to sign the health care and payment forms before I can go back.”

She hesitated for a minute before sighing, “Go grab me a pen.”

* * *

 

The twelve year old walked down the road with his sports slung over his shoulder, stuffed full of his clothes and equipment for boxing and kenpo. A blue Gatorade was stuffed into one of the side pockets.

He song softly to himself as he walked, his fingers laced together and his arms behind his head, “She says we gotta hold on to what we’ve got. Doesn’t make a difference-“

"Hey freak!" Geoff’s eyes narrowed instinctively as he turned around. A group of boys he recognized from school stood behind him with arms crossed over their chests and their pockets heavy with change to use at the arcade across the street. "Cover up those marks. It’s an insult to those of us who actually have someone out there."

"Oh shut up," Geoff answered, rolling his eyes as anger boiled inside of him. "At least I’m going to be loved by someone. Do you even have a mark yet, asshole?"

From the way fire flared in the leaders eyes, Geoff guessed he didn’t. The boy took a step towards him and, as per the contracts he had to fill out when he had reached his first brown belt, Geoff warned, “You really don’t want to pick a fight with me.”

The boy let out an ‘oooh’ that rung with sarcasm, “And what are you going to do to me? Your mama ain’t here to protect you today, boy.”

"You’re right, she isn’t. She’s a little busy working somewhere that isn’t the street corner I saw your mother on five minutes ago," Geoff quipped.

He blinked. When he opened his eyes, a body was flying towards him. 

Even though he had been expecting it, it was more instincts than a well thought out plan that had him grabbing the boys arm and snapping it before flinging him to the ground.

He took one look at the rest of the gang before kicking off the sidewalk in a full sprint, hearing the pounding of their sneakers following him almost immediately.

The sick crack of a bone rung in his ears.

[\/]

Geoff rounded the corner, ducking into the alley and pressing himself against the bricks. He held his breathe until he saw all five pairs of shoes pass by him.

He took a few deep breathes before dissolving into hysterical laughter.   
He was sure to anyone passing by the street he must have looked crazy but he couldn’t stop it.

Fear spiked down his body, he had just _snapped_  a kids arm and it was way different then practicing the motions on a dummy in class.

All he could do was stand there against a brick wall. 

He didn’t know when it happened but at some point his laughs turned to sobs and he slipped down the wall.

His chest heaved as he stared at his wrist, tightening and constricting, and wondered if protecting something as easily broken as skin was even worth all the trouble.

He could barely breathe when he heard a kind voice question, “Kid are you okay? I thought I heard crying.”

"I’m-I’m-" Geoff tried to choke but instead the only thing he felt was a stinging pain before darkness flooded over him.

[/\\]

He woke up to a sharp, steady, beeping.

"Mom?" he croaked out, his throat dry.

"I’m right here honey. I’m right here," she soothed. His mother squeezed his hand before guiding him up into a sitting position and passing him a glass of water.

He took several sips before asking, “What happened?”

"You collapsed in an alley. The lady who found you thought you were having a stroke."

Geoff questioned, “Did I not? Have a stroke that is.”

She gave a small, almost bitter, smile and tapped his wrist with one finger.

Fear pulsed through him and he grabbed it with his other hand, “Are they, okay? Because-“

"They’re fine, honey. Just take a look."

He looked at her for a minute before pushing the fear down and lifting his hand. He flipped his wrist over and gasped.

Two theater masks had appeared under the Tetris block. One of them was dark red and angry. A wispy line connected it to a light pink mask with a bright grin and a red tongue sticking out.

Geoff gaped at it for a moment before blurting, “He’s twelve years younger then me!”

"Twelve years isn’t that long. There’s a girl at my work whose thirty and she only just got a mark last week." His mother smiled a bit as she added, "How do you know it’s a he?"

He blinked several times. “Did I say that?”

"Yeah."

"It’s just…" he traced the new lines with his pinkie. "A feeling I guess." After a minute he added, "What a little shit though. He waited to show up until I was adjusted to the idea of two."

She flicked his arm, “Language.”

"You shouldn’t hit a hospital patient, mom."

She must have seen how his eyes stayed locked on the new mark, though, because she stood up after a moment, “I’m going to get you something to eat then. Stay here and don’t cause any trouble.”

* * *

 

"Geoffrey," his mother murmured as she dabbed the wet cloth against his cheekbone. He winced, not at the pain the motion sent stabbing through his head but at the usage of his full name. "You should go back to class."

He snapped his head up, her hand falling away from his face, and hissed, “I’m not going back. What if I hurt someone else?”

"Protecting yourself is exactly why you took those classes in the first place. You enjoyed them as well, didn’t you? You were so excited when you won your first Junior title."

"It doesn’t matter mom!" he snapped. Something dark sank in his gut and he looked away. When he noticed his right hand inched towards his left wrist, like it wanted to seek the warmth of the marks engraved there, he moved so he was gripping his jeans. After a moment, he hissed out, "They were pointless anyway. They were right…I’m just some freak with three soul-"

"Don’t you dare talk like that," his mother declared. She put a hand on each of his cheeks, directing him so he met her eyes. "You are so much more then that. You are a fantastic boy and a three time Junior boxing champion. You’re one of the best kids in your kenpo classes and you spend your Saturdays helping Ms. Bella with the little kids. Geoff, those three soulmates of yours are going through the exact same experience as you. Possibly without all the support you have. Do you think they would be able to get through the day if they knew you were talking like this?"

"Don’t talk like that," Geoff murmured, feeling tears well in his eyes. He rubbed the heels of his palms against his eyes, "Fuck! I don’t even know them why should I care what happens?"

"You care because you love them," she whispered. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. "When you were four you used to sit in the seat at the grocery store and rattle off all the foods you thought your soulmate used to like and when you were nine and didn’t want to go to the dentist you went right away when I told you your soulmate would be sad if you were in pain from your cavity. You don’t have to meet someone to love them."

Geoff felt the tears fall against her shoulder, “I hate this.”

"I know. I know," she murmured rubbing his shoulder.

[\/]

She laughed when she pulled away from him several minutes later, his body finally done shaking, and wiped at his face, “Well that was all very emotional.”

"Yeah." He agreed after a moment. He gave her a small smile before saying, "I don’t know if I’m ready to participate again but I’ll go by class tomorrow. Hopefully sensei and Ms. Aly will understand why I’ve been gone for so long."

"Of course they will honey. Everyone knows how much what happened affected you," his mother declared with a small smile. "Now come on, let’s go get some ice cream. It’ll make us feel better."

Geoff smiled as he pushed himself on to his feet and followed her into the kitchen, “Do we have any- Ah!”

"Geoff?" she whipped around, staring at him as he stared a this wrist. "Geoff are you okay?"

"Yeah," he hissed out from between clenched teeth. "It just…It burns."

"What burns?" Geoff shook his head as he squeezed his eyes shut. "Honey, I can’t make it better if you don’t tell me what it is."

"You can’t make it better anyway," Geoff answered. When he noticed the way she was looking at him, he added, "It’s my wrist mom. I think it’s happening again."

She let out a sharp bark of laughter before adding, “They always pick the best times to be born, don’t they?”

Geoff just nodded in agreement as he settled into a chair, bracing himself against the burn in his wrist.

* * *

"Mr. Ramsey since you are paying so much attention," the teacher drawled, his voice dropping with sarcasm, "why don’t you come answer number five."

Geoff gave him a grin as he caught the pencil that had been balancing on his nose, “Sure.”

He hummed to himself as he walked down the aisle of desks. His arms swung at his side, his marks fully visible with it’s bright colors and he could hear the whispers fulling him down.

He thought for a second when he reached the board before picking the marker up, mentally moving the numbers in his head.

As he was scribbling his answer down, he felt a sharp pain go through his left wrist. His fingers shook for a second before he managed to get himself under control.

"Mr. Ramsey, if you refuse to answer the problem I’ll have to give you an F for your participation grade."

"You don’t use a participation grade so to add one to my grade just to fail me would be more than a little petty, yeah?" Geoff shot back. "And the answer if x equals seven to the power of five but I can’t move my hand right now."

The teacher sounded angry as he sneered, “And why is that Mr. Ramsey?”

"My arm feels like it’s on fire. Must be my soulmate."

"That’s impossible," piped in one of his classmates. "Mine happened last month and I was in so much pain I couldn’t stop screaming. It was worse then the time I broke my arm on the football field."

"Yeah well. I’ve gone through it four other times, not that any of you forgot that." At least a few of them had the decency to look embarrassed when called out for the rumors "I’m going to the nurse then."

"Mr. Ramsey I will not stand for these lies," his teacher declared. "Mr. Fields is right, you would be in too much pain to be standing the way you are if you were truly being branded. Considering you already have…four that’s highly improbable."

"Look asshole," Geoff sneered, and normally he would have delighted in the way the teacher reeled. "I’m in a lot of pain right now, I’ve been in a lot of pain for my whole fucking life because of people like you, and I am not dealing with your shit. I’m going to the nurses office, and if I ever hear you say anything about my soulmates in the tone you just used I will make sure you never see your testicles again."

He spun on his heel, the marker still crushed in his grip, and walked out of the room scowling.

Geoff took a deep breath before looking down at the burning skin of his wrist as black lines inked their way into him. He ran a hand through his hair as he started walking, his boots echoing in the empty hallway.

"You better be the last one, you little shit."


	2. Chapter Two: All I Want is You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art once again by the lovely Caffeineassassin [caffeineassassin.tumblr.com]

**Chapter Two: All I Want Is You**

* * *

 

 

Geoff tapped his hand against his jeans as he walked into the building. 

He twirled his car keys around his fingers as he hummed into the phone, “I’ll visit soon, Mama. I promise.”

He went silent as she respond before adding, “Of course it’s not that I don’t want to visit you. It’s just that-  Of course, I still have time to see you I just haven’t had time off.”

"Geoff." He looked up from the floor to find Gus coming towards him. "I need to talk to you."

"Mama, I have to go. I’ll call you back." Before she could answer he ended the call and flashed his friend a grin, "Thank you. She’s been on my ass all month about visiting."

Gus shrugged, “No problem but I really do need to talk to you. Burnie came looking for you while you were out for lunch.”

He paused for a minute before questioning, “Did he mention why?”

Gus shook his head and patted his shoulder as he walked by, “Don’t get fired, please.”

"At least I could go visit my mom!" Geoff called over his shoulder.

"It’s not visiting if you have to move back in with her!"

Despite the worry in his gut, Geoff laughed all the way to Burnie’s office.

He rapt his knuckles again the door three times before walking in, “Gus said you were looking for me.”

"I was," Burnie Burns answered. He flashed a smile, "Take a seat."

Geoff nodded, tapping his fingers against his thigh for a minute before moving so they were resting on top of the desk. Burnie’s eyes drifted immediately down to Geoff’s wrist were the bright colors popped against his skin.

"That’s a lot of ink," Burnie said after a moment.

"Not ink," Geoff answered. "Just marked by six people. Is it an issue?"

Burnie cleared his throat and shook his head. “I don’t see why it would be. Just means you’ve got a lot of love in your heart.”

"Let’s hope so, I’m still waiting to meet them." Geoff glanced briefly down at the mark on Burnie’s wrist before asking, "If it’s not about the wrist then why did you want to talk to me?"

"Oh yeah." Burnie dug through some papers before producing, "How the fuck do you expect to buy a house on an hourly salary. For that matter. though, why do you even need to buy a fucking house if you haven’t met your soulmates yet?"

Geoff gave a small laugh before reaching up and scratching at the back of his neck, “I don’t really know. I was looking for apartments but when I saw the place, it just felt right. The same way Austin did when I moved here.”

Burnie looked at him for a minute before grinning a bit, “You’re an interesting guy.”

  
He had no way of knowing just how instrumental Burnie would be in the rest of his life.

* * *

 

Years later, found the duo sitting in an airport.

"This is taking so long," Burnie complained. "He was supposed to land over an hour ago."

Geoff shrugged from where he sat next to him. “He probably just got delayed. Did he text you or something?”

Burnie pulled his phone from his pocket, glancing at it briefly before putting it back in with a shake of his head, “Nothing.”

"Burnie! Geoff!" They looked up to find Gavin running towards them with a bright grin on his face. The eighteen year old threw himself at Burnie when he was close enough, his legs wrapping around his waist.

Geoff watched for a minute before clearing his throat, “Hey, Gavin.”

"Ah!" Gavin squeaked. He jumped off Burnie, giving Geoff a wide grin before thrusting his hand out towards him, "Geoff! It’s so weird to be talking to you in person rather then messaging you."

Geoff was about to shake it when he caught sight of Gavin’s wrist. He zoomed in on the Molotov Cocktail on his wrist and a stray thought of ‘ _minemineminemine_ ' went through his head. When he noticed the rest of the mark his eyes went wide.

"I didn’t know," Burnie murmured, obviously having followed Geoff’s line of sight. "Honestly Geoff, I didn’t or else I would have told you."

Gavin glanced between them before glancing down to see where they where looking.

He snatched his wrist back and pressed it close to his chest. “Please, please don’t say anything. I’ll get on a plane back to England, right now if you want, just don’t say anything. I’m still bruised from the last guy who saw it.”

Anger boiled inside Geoff as Burnie tried to explain, “Gav! That’s not it at all. Geoff is-“

"Just shocked," Geoff managed to get out. The way Gavin looked at him, like he’d heard the hatred in Geoff’s voice and mistaken it as being directed at him, made Geoff ease his tone and repeat. "I’m just shocked that’s all. Someone hit you over it?"

Gavin pursed his lips before shrugging, “It’s not a big deal. I’ve been happening my whole life.”

A tense silence settled before Geoff gave a small smile before shoving his hands into his pockets, burying them deep enough that they hid his wrists. “Let’s go then. I’ll buy lunch for you guys today.”

"Thanks." A small smile reached Gavin’s lips again. "I’m starving, I barely hate on the flight."

Geoff could feel Burnie’s eyes on the back of his head as the two started off towards the door.

(%%%)

"Right then," Burnie drawled, his hands falling on Geoff’s shoulders as he pulled him away from the desk he was working on. "Gavin’s in the other room talking to Matt."

"That’s awesome," Geoff said. He put his chin in his hand, "Tell me more."

"Don’t be an asshole." He grabbed the nearest chair, rolling it over to them and sitting down. "Why didn’t you tell Gavin at the airport?"

"Why didn’t you?"

"Don’t make this about me. I was just respecting the decision you made .As much as I adore Gav, it isn’t my place to tell him if you don’t want him to know." Burnie paused before adding, "Just because he goes back to England at the end of the week doesn’t mean he’s leaving. We’re going to be working with him a lot so there’s no way you can hide it from him. He’s going to be upset when he finds out you hid something like this from him."

Geoff was silent for a minute before saying, “He’s just a kid, Burnie.”

"Age gaps aren’t that big of a deal. He’s not even the youngest is he?"

"It’s not the age gap that bothers me," Geoff answered. "Any hang ups about that were gone a long time ago. What bothers me is that he’s eighteen."

"Legal adult."

Geoff let out a small laugh, “Real funny. Seriously Burnie, he’s got his whole life ahead of him. He can do whatever he wants without worrying about how it’ll affect me or how far from me he’ll be. I’m content with just knowing who he is now so that I can protect him.”

There was a long pause before Burnie said, “He’s not going to be happy when he finds out. I mean it’s not like you can hide it forever - you’re either going to have to tell him or your going to slip up. We live in Texas, he’ll notice if you’re always wearing long sleeves.”

"It’s something I’ll deal with later."

They watched each other for a minute before Burnie sighed and stood up, “Fine. I’ll stop interfering. Let’s go get some lunch, yeah?”

Geoff nodded after a moment, “Yeah, sure.”

(%%%)

"I’m sorry about this," Gavin apologized as they made their way down the sidewalk.

Geoff shrugged, trying to act like his heart didn’t feel like it would bounce out of his skin. “It’s fine. I’m not going to leave you in the street in a foreign country just because Burnie wrecked his plumbing.”

Gavin bit his thumb before questioning, “Will your…roommate mind?”

Geoff heard the underlying meaning ‘will your soulmate mind?’. He shook his head as he unlocked the door, “It’s just me.”

"Oh." Geoff was certain he’d imagined the relief in Gavin’s voice. "Right then, where should I sleep?"

Geoff pressed his lips together to keep the urge to invite Gavin to sleep with him down. After a moment he said, “You can take my bed for tonight and tomorrow I’ll grab Matt’s air mattress from him. You’re only here for a week, yeah?”

"Yeah but I really don’t want to take your bed from you. You shouldn’t have to sleep on the couch just because of me."

"I’m offering it to you. It’s not like your demanding it. Come on, I’ll show you where the bedroom is."

Geoff reached out, grabbing Gavin’s wrist and pulling him towards the bedroom.

The touch calmed Geoff.

Even though he could see shock on Gavin’s face he couldn’t bring himself to let go.

If he didn’t do anything other then this, Geoff decided feeling the rough wool of the sweatband on his wrist, it would be okay to keep Gavin close.

Right…?

(%%%)

A week later found them standing in the airport, looking up at the flipping numbers on the board.

"My flights boarding," Gavin murmured, chewing on his thumbnail. He was standing with his shoulder bumping against Geoff’s while Burnie was seated on the top of his suitcase in front of them.

Burnie stood up, reaching forward and hugging him tightly, “Take care of yourself and hurry back, alright? Call me when you touch down so I know you’re not dead in the middle of the Atlantic.”

"Roger that," Gavin agreed, laughing as he patted Burnie’s shoulders.

When they pulled away from each other, Burnie glanced over at Geoff before saying, “I’ll go wait in the car. See ya, Gavino.”

They were quiet, something Geoff found odd since there had been nonstop conversation since the first night, before Geoff said, “Matt gave me the air mattress, said the couch was more comfortable anyway, so next time you come to America-“

"Definitely." Silence lapsed for a second before Gavin’s eyes fell to the checkered band on Geoff’s wrist and he started, "Geoff, I want to see-"

"Flight Seventy Five to the United Kingdom is now boarding. This is the final call."

Gavin turned away, his mouth snapping shut, “Never mind.”

Geoff swallowed around the lump in his throat, “Bye Gav.”

* * *

"What the hell do you want?" Geoff questioned , as he swung the door open. He glared at Joel and Burnie. "It’s four in the fucking morning, Burnie."

Behind him, he heard Gus groan. Burnie rolled his eyes, “Tell the sourpuss to go back to sleep. Put some pants on Geoff. I’ve got a surprise for you.”

"I don’t want a surprise," Geoff groaned. "I want to go the fuck back to sleep. It’s too late for this. Weren’t you guys playing poker anyway?"

"It only took so long to get here because I wouldn’t leave when I was winning," Joel commented.

He rubbed at his arms, and it struck Geoff suddenly that Joel wasn’t wearing one of the million hoodies that he was never without.

Geoff sighed and grabbed Joel’s arm, yanking him inside, “Come in idiot. Where’s your fucking sweatshirt?”

"I think I forgot it," Joel replied, laughing a bit. "We rushed out of there after we saw-"

"Sh!" Burnie shushed, reaching forward to put his hands over Joel’s mouth. "Don’t tell him."

Geoff looked between the two before spitting out, “You guys are fucking idiots. If you’re fucking surprise isn’t inside by the time I get back from putting my pants on, I’m going to kick your ass.”

He heard a loud whoop from Burnie as he turned, making his way back down the hallway towards his bedroom. He stopped halfway there, poking his head into Gus’ room to say, “Burnie and Joel brought something over from the poker game.”

"Is it something dumb?" Gus questioned, his face smushed against his pillows and his body sprawled out on the bed. "Because if it is then I’m not getting up."

"Exciting enough that Joel forgot his hoodie and left a fucking poker table when he was up. When have you known Joel to ever do either of those things?" Geoff responded before shutting the door behind him.

He heard Gus let out another groan before the creak of a bed.

(%%%)

Geoff walked into the living room as he buttoned his jeans, “Alright then, assholes. What do you fucking-“

His fingers stilled when he glanced up.

Gus was sitting on the arm of the couch, in a pair of orange and pink stripped boxers, with his arms crossed while Burnie and Joel were huddled together.

It wasn’t an unusual sight, even without Matt in the mix with them, but there was a man standing next to Burnie and Joel that was gorgeous in a way that knocked Geoff’s breath out of him.

"Geoff," Burnie declared, giggling slightly, "this is Jack Pattillo. Jack, this is Geoff Ramsey."

"Oh um… Hi," Jack stuttered, sticking his hand out to shake. Geoff felt himself harden in his jeans at the way Jack’s voice washed over him like honey. "I’m really sorry about this, we were playing poker and Burnie just suddenly said-"

"Look at his wrist, Geoff," Burnie interrupted.

Geoff sighed and looked down, expecting to see the type of mark that looked like a penis or something equally entertaining. When instead he found a Molotov Cocktail with two specters, the tops of which were on fire, crossing behind it and a rose on one side with a set of theater masks on the other it felt like someone had punched him in the gut.

Jack turned, glaring at them, “Is this about my wrist? I thought you said you were okay with it. If this is a joke I’m leaving and-“

"No!" Geoff screeched, darting forward his heart pounded as he grabbed Jack’s wrist. His fingers closed around the mark, feeling the warmth of it spread through him.

Jack glanced down at the hand for several moments before whispering, “That should burn you.”

Geoff swallowed around the lump in his throat, “They only burn people that they don’t belong too.” He held his other hand out, palm up for Jack could see the one on his wrist.

There was a moment of silence before Jack lunged forward. Geoff stood still for a moment as Jack’s arms wrapped tightly around him.

Jack murmured quietly, “I’ve been looking for you.”

When Geoff got a hold of himself, he returned the embrace. He gave a small chuckle as he answered, “I’ve been looking for you too, idiot.”

(%%%)

Geoff had his feet up on the arm of Jack’s chair, watching as Joel and Jack argued about something that he could only vaguely understood.

"I’m telling you, you’re wrong!" Joel shouted, throwing his arms out. "All the evidence is there."

When Geoff saw Jack clench his teeth, like he was about to growl at Joel, he reached forward and grabbed one of Jack’s belt loops. The bearded man fell into his lap with a tug.

Jack glared up at him, “What are you doing? I was about to win an argument.”

"You’re arguing with Joel," Geoff answered, laughing a bit as he nuzzled against neck. "You’re never going to win. He’ll just keep interrupting."

Joel made a face, “I only interrupt when you guys are wrong. Like he is right now.”

"I’m not wrong," Jack answered. The words had less bite to them and Geoff liked to think that had something to do with the way he was pressing kisses against his shoulder. "You just-"

"Hey, Joel, have you seen Burnie?"

The British accent had Geoff’s head snapping up. He felt his heart pound as he looked at Gavin, the boy standing in the doorway. He glanced away from Joe when he shook his head, noticing Geoff.

A grin spread over his face, “Geoff!”

"Gavin," Geoff answered, feeling his heart pound as he looked at him. Gavin had grown up a lot in the two years since he had seen him, his chest had filled out so he didn’t look so awkward and most of the baby fat in his cheeks was finally gone. "Why are you- ? When did you-?"

"I’m directing season seven. I got in this morning. I told Burnie not to bother picking me up and I’d just catch a cab over," Gavin answered. He bounced on his toes as he continued.. "I thought you knew since Burnie said I could stay with you again and all."

Geoff fumbled for a minute before nodding, “Of course you can stay with me again. I’ve still got that air mattress.” Gavin’s grin widened.

He looked like he wanted to say something else but then his eyes finally focused on Jack in Geoff’s lap and the arm he had around the gingers waist.

His face dropped, confusion settled in Geoff’s stomach, before he plastered on a smile that Geoff was sure would have looked fake even to people who didn’t know him. “You must be Geoff’s soulmate, Burnie and Geoff have told me all about you. I hope your okay with me staying with you guys until we wrap up.”

"We don’t live together, so it’s not like it’s going to bother me any," Jack answered as he pushed himself off Geoff’s lap. He held out a hand to Gavin. "I’m Jack Pattillo."

"Gavin Free." There was a moment, after their hands clasped, where everything seemed okay.  Then Gavin’s eyes narrowed on Jack’s wrist. "Oh my god."

"What is-?" Jack glanced down at their joined hands, seeing the mark on Gavin’s wrist. "Holy shit."

There was a moment where they gripped each others hands, their knuckles turning white and Gavin’s nails leaving crescents in Jack’s hand, before they both turned to Geoff and asked, “Did you know about this?”

Joel whistled, walking slowly away from the group, “I’m just going to go find Burnie then…”

"Oh my god!" Gavin screeched, and Geoff winced at the sound. "Everyone knew except me, didn’t they?!"

"I didn’t either," Jack added. "You didn’t think it was worth mentioning, Geoff, that you knew who one of the the others was?"

"Jack that’s not it," Geoff started. He stood up, reaching out for the man, "Gavin was just-"

"Gavin was just what?" Gavin snapped. "Bruised from having the shit kicked out him because of you guys? Half in love with you before he met you and completely head over heels with you afterwards? I thought you were hiding it because they had died but it was just that you didn’t want me, wasn’t it?"

"No!" Geoff objected. He whipped on Gavin instead, "Of course that wasn’t it! Fuck, Gavin I was in love with you by Tuesday!"

"Then why didn’t you say anything!" Gavin challenged, his body vibrated with anger and his nails were digging into his palms.

Geoff took a deep breath before saying, “You were eighteen Gavin. I thought you should be able to do all the stupid shit people do. You know, have flings that don’t mean anything and get so drunk you can’t see straight and just - I wanted you to be young for a little while.”

"Maybe you should have asked me what I thought!" Gavin screamed. "It’s not like I could have done any of that shit anyway when every fucking person who sees my wrist tries to kick the shit out of me!"

They all fell silent for a minute.

From the doorway, Burnie called, “Gavin, come on. I’ll take you to lunch you’re too angry to be here right now. You’ll end up saying something you don’t mean.”

"I haven’t said anything I don’t mean," Gavin snapped.

Regardless, he turned and stalked out of the room.

Burnie sent a glare at Geoff. “I told you this would happen.”

Jack glanced between the two before walking towards the doorway, “I’ll come with you, Burnie. I’d like to talk to him.”

The door shut behind them and for the first time in months, Geoff felt alone.

(%%%)

"Hey guys," Geoff called softly, walking into the apartment. Gavin stilled, his fingers digging into the controller in his hands. He dropped it quickly, pushing himself off the floor and storming towards Jack’s bedroom. "Gavin! Come on, it’s been a month! We need to talk about it."

"Why?" Gavin snapped, turning to glare at him. "Why do you want to talk about it now? Because the way I see it, you never wanted to talk about it before! Not with me or with Jack! Would you ever have told either of us if I hadn’t just shown up?"

"Of course I would have!" Geoff screeched. "Gavin, I love you! I never planned to leave you out but you were in England."

"And what’s your excuse for not telling Jack about me, huh? For not telling Jack that you knew who the fire on his arm belonged too? For not-"

"Stop!" Jack screamed, interrupting their argument. They went silent, looking at Jack. He sat on the couch in the middle of the two with Gavin’s controller lying between his feet. "Stop fighting already! Do you know how hard it is to have to go between the two of you like this? You guys are acting like it’s just about you but it’s not! It’s about the three of us who are here and the three of the who aren’t yet."

"But he-" Geoff and Gavin began at the same time.

"I don’t care!" Jack roared. He stood up, pointing a finger the way Geoff had come, "Just get out! Until you’re done being idiots and decide to talk about it, I don’t want to see either of you in my house!"

There was a moment before Gavin and Geoff both walked out of the apartment.

(%%%)

They made it half a block before Gavin murmured, “This is all your fault. I was having fun getting to know Jack.”

"Sorry." Geoff stuck his hands in his pockets as they walked. "I didn’t mean for Jack to kick us out, Gav. I just wanted to talk to you. I’m so sick of this."

"Sorry. I’ll be back in England soon."

"Gavin," Geoff groaned. He stopped, reaching for Gavin and pulling him towards him. Gavin’s nose hit his chest and his head bonked against Geoff’s chin.

"Christ, after everything you’re trying to assault me." There was a laugh after the words though that made something blossom in Geoff’s chest.

Geoff let out a breath before wrapping his arms around Gavin’s shoulders. He nuzzled against Gavin’s hair, “I am so in love with you, Gavin, and I have been since we met. You have to believe me.”

Gavin was quiet for a minute before murmuring, “I’m still pissed at you for not telling me.”

"I know," Geoff answered. "Let’s go get some food. Jack is more likely to let us back in if we bring pie."

"Everyone’s a pushover when there’s pie."

(%%%)

Jack was glaring when he swung the door open.

Before he could move his mouth, Geoff lifted up the bottle of beer in his hand, “I bought alcohol.”

"And I got pie!" Gavin chirped. Then he added, "Well, Geoff bought it because I left my wallet here but I did carry it."

Jack looked at them for a minute before opening the door, “Go put it on the counter.”

Gavin had barely set the pie down when Jack grabbed his belt loops. Geoff leaned against the counter watching them, the sight of Jack nibbling on Gavin’s lips and the moans coming from the Brits lips sending his blood rushing down.

Tugging Gavin by his belt loops, Jack started walking backwards towards the bedroom. He met Geoff’s eyes as he said, “Come on then.”

Geoff was already unbuttoning his pants as he followed

* * *

Jack leaned against Geoff’s chair, reading the man’s messages with Gavin over his shoulder.

Geoff tilted to look up at him, “Hey. Where have you been?”

"Lunch with Joel. Tell Gav goodbye, you have lunch with Ryan."

"He really should drop by more often," Geoff answered, winkling his nose. "Just because he works from his apartment doesn’t mean he has to avoid us like the plague."

Jack shrugged, “Maybe he’s just busy. People who visit tend to get caught up for hours, you realize? Not everyone has that type of time.”

Geoff shrugged, “It’s just weird that I’ve only seen him like twice since hiring him.”

"Yeah well, you’d see him a third time if you got off your ass."

Geoff groaned before pushing away, “I’m going. I’m going. See you later. Tell Gav I love him and that you forced me out of the office before I could say goodbye!”

(%%%)

"Hey, sorry I’m late." Geoff looked up from his menu to find Ryan standing in front of him, scratching at the back of his neck. "I got a little caught up with something and it took forever to get the grease out of my hair."

Geoff shrugged, “It’s no big deal. Working on your car?”

"Eh…no," Ryan answered with a shake of his head as he settled into his seat. "I was taking a break on some editing stuff to fix my toaster. It’s working fine now so that’s a plus."

Geoff gaped before sputtering, “You fixed your own toaster?”

"Yeah. it’s not that hard." Ryan glanced at the table before gesturing to the menu on Geoff’s side, "Could I use that? There isn’t another one."

"Ah sure." Geoff held the menu out to Ryan, but right as he was about to let go his fingers caught sight of Ryan’s wrist.

His grip on the menu tightened as he looked at the vibrant red of the rose and the green of the vine that twisted around the cocktail until it reached the strings of the angry theater mask. Next to it, the Tetris block was wrapped wrapped in the strings of the happy mask, the end of the string lighting the rag in the cocktail with a burst of fire. “How didn’t I notice that?”

Ryan followed his gaze. “Oh, sorry. I normally wear long sleeves but I didn’t wanna ruin my shirts while I was fixing stuff. If it’s a problem, I’ll make sure to wear something else the next time we have lunch.”

"It’s a problem," Geoff answered. When he saw the way Ryan’s eyes flared with surprise before he leaned backwards, taking the menu that had slipped from Geoff’s fingers with his shock. "Not because I’m going to hurt you or anything I swear."

"Yeah? Then why is it an issue?"

Geoff gave a brief smile before shoving the sleeves of his sweatshirt up, flipping his wrist so Ryan could see the make there. “I’m just upset that I hadn’t seen it yet.”

(%%%)

"Are you ready then?" Geoff questioned, leaning against the door frame of the bathroom as he watched Ryan comb his hands through his hair.

Ryan pursed his lips before turning to him, “Do I look okay?”

"Perfect," Jack chirped from where he was sprawled out on the bed.

"You aren’t even looking!" Ryan shouted out. Even though he was pouting, there was amusement in his voice that made Geoff’s lips twitch.

"You look fine," Geoff answered, reaching forward. He played with the collar of Ryan’s button up. "Gavin is going to love that you dressed up for him. He’s always complaining when Jack and I wear tee-shirts and stuff." Ryan’s lips pulled up a bit so Geoff added, "Of course, he’s never upset very long considering the shirts don’t stay on very long."

"Idiot," Ryan murmured fondly. He reached up, wrapping his hands around Geoff’s wrists. He was silent for a minute, rubbing his thumbs against his pulse before asking, "Are you sure he’ll like me?"

"Of course he will." He turned Ryan’s hands over, pressing a kiss against the fire on his wrist, "He’s already left his mark on you. I don’t think he’s going to run now."

Ryan looked like he wanted to protest but was interrupted by Gavin’s voice coming through the laptop speakers, “Jack! Where is he?”

"In the bathroom fixing his hair," Jack reported. Ryan could see the grin spreading across his face as he questioned, "Have you been drinking, Gav?"

There a pause before Gavin answered, “Just a lil bit. I’m really nervous…I hope he likes me Jack. He sounds so smart and he’s so pretty in all the pictures you’ve sent me. What if he doesn’t like me, Jack?”

Jack looked over, meeting Ryan’s eyes. “I’m sure he’ll like you as much as you like him.” He turned away from Ryan, his grin widening, “Should I go grab him for you?”

"No!" Gavin squeaked. "Because that look on your face totally says you want to go fuck him and that’s really not fair! I’m all alone."

Jack just laughed.

Geoff smiled, squeezing Ryan’s hands, “Are you ready then?”

Ryan swallowed hard before nodding, “Yeah.”

* * *

Geoff walked into the office to find Jack and Michael spread out on the floor, pieces of a desk around them. He felt a stab of pride in himself for a second - it’d taken a lot of convincing to get their Rage Quitter to move to Texas and he felt accomplished for finally doing it.

"Are you two almost done?" Geoff questioned, laughing.

Jack glanced up at him, glaring. “You really aren’t as funny as you think you are.”

Geoff just laughed harder as he plopped down next to them. He reached across, grabbing a piece and snatching the instructions from Jack. “Right then… I think we need Piece E.”

"I think Michael’s sitting on it," Jack drawled.

"Michael the pie-" he stopped when he looked up to find Michael was staring at his phone, a bright smile on his face. "What’s so funny?"

Michael shook his head as he typed a quick response and shoved his phone into his jeans. “Nothing, just Ray being an idiot. What did you need?”

"Piece E. It’s under your ass."

Michael nodded, shifting himself up. In the process, the sleeves of his sweatshirt raised up, flashing the mark on his arm. A half square of fire flared up with a specter directly inside of each side. A tetris block was laid across the top of the bottom line, a rose rising in the joint between the top and bottom rows, and it’s final block laid over the label of a molotov cocktail.

It slipped from view as Michael held the piece out to Geoff, “Do you know where this goes?”

Geoff went to say something, only to remember the smile on Michael’s face as he texted Ray and laughing at a video of him and Ray on a ‘brodate’ weeks ago, before ending up with just a nod.

(%%%)

"This sucks," Geoff heard Ryan complain as the bed sunk. He peeked one eye open, finding that Ryan had curled against Jack and burrowed his head in the others side. "Are we really not going to tell him?"

"Not yet," Jack answered, rubbing his thumb against Ryan’s neck. "He’s so happy with Ray, it wouldn’t be right to ruin that."

"Not fair," Ryan mumbled. "I should get to tell him since I fell off a Carousel because of him."

Geoff sat up suddenly, squinting to get a better look at Ryan. After a moment, he questioned, “Fell off a carousel?”

Ryan nodded, “Yeah. I was on a carousel when he was born and I fell off. I got a concussion from it and everything.”

After a moment, Jack admitted, “Katie thought I was dying when Gavin was born and gave me CPR.”

"You guys…" Geoff began. He dissolved into laughter after a moment. "Those are way more embarrassing then mine! You fucking dorks! I can’t believe you kissed your sister, Jack!"

Jack reached behind him, launching one of the pillows at Geoff. “Shuddup.”

"I passed out when Michael was born, but I was hysterical before it even happened so it might have been that," Geoff admitted. They sat like that for a while before Geoff fell back against the bed. He let out a soft sigh, "I wonder if Michael has a dumb story too…"

(%%%)

"It’s too hot," Geoff complained a few weeks later, pulling at his tank top as he strolled into the office. Jack sent him a brief smile before returning to his screen.

"You think it’s hot?" Michael questioned, glaring at him. Geoff couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of his throat when he saw the way Michael’s shirt was soaked with sweat. "At least your used to it! I feel like I’m going to die it’s so fucking hot in heeeee-What is that on your arm?"

  
Geoff glanced down, and when he found nothing out of place questioned, “What?”

"That!" Despite his pointing, Michael’s point didn’t become any clearer and he stood up and stalked towards Geoff. He grabbed his wrist, holding Geoff’s wrist up to his face before adding his own to it. "They match!"

"Michael," Jack declared, peeling his headphones off as he glanced between the two, "we knew that already."

"What?" The words processed. "We?"

Jack nodded, holding his own wrist up. “Ryan and Gavin too. You haven’t met Gavin since he lives in England but you’ve probably seen us skype him before.”

"The one with the huge nose?" Geoff nodded. "How long have you known? Why didn’t you guys tell me before?"

"I figured it out when we were putting your desk together," Geoff admitted. "I didn’t want to tell you because you seemed to happy with Ray. I didn’t think it was my place to ruin your current relationship."

"Ruin my-" Michael started laughing, doubling over with a hand against his stomach. "You idiots!"

Tentatively, Jack questioned, “Did we read something wrong? You and Ray are together right?”

"Yes but," Michael managed to cough out, taking deep breaths between laughter, "Ray is the rose you idiots! You can’t get in the middle of a relationship you’re supposed to be apart of."

* * *

Several nights later found the boys piled on the bed.   
Michael was seated criss cross between Geoff and Ryan, his knees touching both of their hips as they laid on their stomachs. Jack sat behind him, letting Michael lean against his chest.

"Right, I bought a new camera just for this," Gavin chimed. On the computer screen in front of them they watched him jump into his chair. It flicked forward before steadying. He rolled up his sleeve, shoving his arm into the cameras view so they could see the mark there, "How does it look?"

"Fine," Michael answered as he leaned forward. His cursor hovered over the ‘Add Contact’ button. "Everyone ready then?"

As the rest of them slid their sleeves down, Gavin shook his arms out before holding his up again. Michael flashed a smile at each of them before adding Ray to the chat.

After a moment, Ray’s voice crackled through the computer, “Michael who is-” For a second, Geoff thought maybe Skype had dropped the call but then he heard him start again. “Michael, what’s going on?”

"I told you coming to Texas was a good decision," Michael drawled. Geoff felt his hand thump against his back as Michael dropped it out of frame. After a moment, he added, "Is this too cheesy? I thought you would want to see everyone’s marks since we always wondered what they would look like."

Ray sounded like he might be crying as he answered, “No, it’s perfect. I was just thinking that I need to get a plane ticket.”


End file.
